Doll Domination
Doll Domination is the second studio album from the Pussycat Dolls that was released on September 19, 2008 by A&M Records. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling 79,000 copies in its first week. The album unperformed, selling less than their "PCD" album. The album was recorded from 2007 to 2008. The producers on the album were Robin Antin, Ron Fair, Jimmy Iovine, Chase N' Cashe, Cutfather, Ron Fair, Calvo Da Gr8, Darkchild, Kara DioGuardi, Sean Garrett, Tal Herzberg, Jonas Jeberg, Jroc, R. Kelly, Clubba Langg, Ne-Yo, Nwaneri, A.R. Rahman, Stefanie Ridel, Nicole Scherzinger, Shea Taylor, Timbaland, Quiz & Larossi, and Ester Dean . Throughout 2009, the album was reissued in several different forms including an EP ("The Mini Collection"), a mini-album ("Doll Domination 2.0"), a compilation ("Doll Domination 3.0") and a full bonus track edition ("Doll Domination" + 2009 bonus tracks). It was the was the first album released following the departure of Carmit Bachar and was the last album released with the remaining group members from the original lineup: Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, Kimberly Wyatt, and Nicole Scherzinger. Album Background & Production The Pussycat Dolls' debut album "PCD" was a commercial success selling up to 2.9 million records in the United States. It featured three top ten hits including the international breakthrough single "Don't Cha". The success brought the group a wide array of spin-offs which included a CW network reality series, "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll". Executively produced by the Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, her brother Steven Antin, record executive Jimmy Iovine, and television producers McG and Ken Mok, the goal of the show was add a seventh member to the group who would join them in recording their second studio album and future tour endeavors. Its finale on April 24th revealed Asia Nitollano to be the winner of the competition. Following her win, she joined the group in a performance of their debut single "Don't Cha". However, several months later, it was revealed that Nitollano had actually quit the group shortly after the finale aired to pursue a solo career. Over the course of two years (from 2005 to 2007) lead singer Nicole Scherzinger recorded 75 to 100 songs for her planned solo debut album. In March of 2007, she announced that her debut studio album would be titled "Her Name is Nicole" and was initially scheduled to be released in late summer 2007. In September of 2007, Nicole released her debut single, "Baby Love" (featuring will.i.am) which achieved moderate success. After the lack of success of the other three singles ("Whatever U Like," "Supervillain" & "Puakenikeni") along with a number of push-backs, she decided not to release any more singles and her album was shelved at her request. She shifted back focus back on the group's second album; additionally, four songs ("When I Grow Up", "I Hate This Part", "Who's Gonna Love You" and "Happily Never After") that were recorded for Nicole's debut album were given to the Pussycat Dolls. On March 3, 2008, Carmit Bachar announced via the group's website that she had left the group intending to pursue a solo career; at the time of her departure, she had been the longest member of the group, joining in 1995 when they were a burlesque act. On March 10, 2008, the Pussycat Dolls performed for the first time without Bachar for the Operation MySpace concert which honored US troops stationed in Kuwait. On August 12, 2008, they unveiled the album artwork for the standard edition of the album. The cover depicts each member on motorcycles that bears a medallion displaying their initials. Maura of Idolator saw the cover as a step for the four members "to finally break through and maybe, someday, have personalities of their own." Tracklisting #When I Grow Up (4:05) #Bottle Pop (feat. Snoop Dogg) (3:30) #Whatcha Think About That (featuring Missy Elliott) (3:48) #I Hate This Part (3:39) #Takin' Over the World (3:35) #Out of This Club (featuring R. Kelly and Polow da Don) (4:08) #Who's Gonna Love You (4:00) #Happily Never After (4:49) #Magic (3:41) #Halo (5:24) #In Person (3:36) #Elevator (3:41) #Hush Hush (3:48) #Love the Way You Love Me (3:21) #Whatchamacallit (4:19) #I'm Done (3:18) Deluxe Edition #If I Was a Man (Jessica Sutta) (3:31) #Space (Melody Thornton) (3:08) #Don't Wanna Fall in Love (Kimberly Wyatt) (3:21) #Played (Ashley Roberts) (3:20) #Until U Love U (Nicole Scherzinger) (3:38) Reissue Edition Bonus Tracks #Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny (A. R. Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger) (3:42) #Top of the World (3:14) #Painted Windows (3:34) European Edition #Lights, Camera, Action (featuring New Kids on the Block) (3:45) #Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (2:15) Singles #"When I Grow Up" (released: May 27, 2008) #"Whatcha Think About That" (released: September 9, 2008) #"I Hate This Part" (released: October 7, 2008) #"Out of This Club" (released: October 12, 2008) #"Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" (released: February 23, 2009) #"Bottle Pop" (released: March 6, 2009) #"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" (released: May 12, 2009) Album Personnel Performance credits *Nicole Scherzinger – vocals, background vocals *Melody Thornton – vocals, background vocals *Jessica Sutta – background vocals *Ashley Roberts - background vocals *Kimberly Wyatt – background vocals *Snoop Dogg – vocals (track 2) *Missy Elliott – vocals (track 3) *R. Kelly – vocals (track 6) *Polow Da Don – vocals (track 6), additional vocals (track 7) *New Kids on the Block – vocals (track 6) *Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins – additional vocals (track 1) *Rock City – additional vocals (track 1) *Candice Nelson – additional background vocals (tracks 9–11, 15) Management *Gretchen Anderson – production *Damian Elahi – business affairs *Tanya Greig – business affairs *Jeff Haddad – management *Buffy Hubelbank – A&R coordinators *Terrence Nelson – A&R coordinators *Gary Ng – A&R administration *Jeff Norskog – management *Ginger Ramsey – marketing *Dave Rene – A&R coordinators *Manny Smith – A&R *Jeanne Venton – A&R administration Technical and production *Julian Peploe – art direction *Matthew Rolston – photography *Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins – production (tracks 1, 12), vocal production, mixing (track 1) *Paul Foley – recording (track 1) *Mike "Handz" Donaldson – recording (track 1) *Roberto "Tito" Vazquez – recording (track 1) *Spike Stent – mixing (track 1) *Sean "The Pen Garrett – production, instrumentation, programming (track 2) *Fernando Garibay – production, instrumentation, programming (track 2) *Clubba Langg – co-production (track 2) *Miles Walker – recording (track 2) *Chris Jackson – recording (track 2) *Mike Hogue – assistant recording (track 2) *Chris Kasych – assistant recording (track 2) *Brian Schunck – assistant recording (track 2) *Matt Wheeler – assistant recording (track 2), recording (tracks 3, 5, 14) *Kennard Garrett – keyboards (track 2) *Raymond "Rayza" Oglesby – keyboards, additional drum programming (track 2) *Tony Maserati – mixing (track 2) *Jamal "Polow Da Don" Jones – production (tracks 3, 7, 17) *Ron Fair – production (tracks 4, 13, 16), vocal production (tracks 3, 4, 7, 13), string arrangement and conduct (tracks 3, 7, 13, 16), vocal arrangement (track 7) wind chimes (track 16) *Ester Dean – vocal production (track 3) *Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos – recording (tracks 3, 4, 13, 16) *Tal Herzberg – recording (tracks 3, 4, 13), Pro Tools (tracks 3, 4, 13, 16) co-production (track 16) *Tony Terrebonne – recording (track 3) *Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – recording (track 3) *Tony Terrebonne – recording (track 3) *Johnathan Merritt – assistant recording (tracks 3, 4) *Bryan Morton – assistant recording (track 3) *Jason Perry – keyboards (track 3) *Melvin Jones – trumpet (track 3) *Lissy Rosemond – banjo (track 3) *Eric Florence – tuba (track 3) *Dave Pensado – mixing (tracks 3–5, 12–14) *Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 3–5, 12–14) *Andrew Wuepper – mixing assistant (tracks 3, 13) *Jonas Jeberg – production, recording, instruments, programming (track 4) *Peter Mokran – mixing (tracks 4, 7) *Eric Weaver – mixing assistant (tracks 4, 7) *Chase N Cashe – production (tracks 5, 14) *Daniel Groover – guitars (track 5) *R. Kelly – production, arrangement, mixing assistant (track 6) *Ian Mereness – recording, programming (track 6) *Abel Garibaldi – recording (track 6) *Jeff Meeks – recording, programming (track 6) *Eric Schlotzer – recording, programming (track 6) *Donnie Lyle – guitars (track 6) *Patrick Hayes – guitars (track 6) *Eric Schlotzer – recording, programming (track 6) *Donnie Lyle – guitars (track 6) *Patrick Hayes – guitars (track 6) *Steve Baughman – recording (track 7) *Tony Terrebone – recording (track 7) *Nicole Scherzinger – vocal arrangement (track 7) *Shea Taylor – production (track 8) *Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith – co-production (track 8) *Mike Tocci – recording (track 8) *Daniel Laporte – additional recording (track 8) *Moses "Big Mo" Laporte – additional recording (track 8) *Robert "R.T." Taylor – acoustic guitar (track 8) *Bart Buckso – electric guitar (track 8) *Glenn Camp – drums (track 8) *Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (track 8) *Timbaland – production (tracks 9–11, 14) *Jerome "Jroc" Harmon – production (tracks 9–11, 14) *Chris Godbey – recording, mixing (tracks 9–11, 14) *Julian Vasquez – recording (tracks 9–11, 14) *Fareed Salamah – recording (tracks 9–11, 14) *Ron Taylor – additional pro-tools editing (tracks 9–11, 14) *Dan Warner – additional guitars (tracks 10, 11) *Lashawn Daniels – vocal production (track 12) *Jordan Omley – vocal production (track 12) *Tito Vasquez – recording (track 12) *Mike "Handz" Donaldson – recording (track 12) *Paul Foley – recording (track 12) *Quiz & Larossi – production, instruments, programming (track 13) *Frank Wolf – strings recording (track 13) *Jonathan Merrit – assistant engineers (tracks 13, 16) *Keith Gretlein – assistant engineers (track 13) *Greg De Pante – assistant engineers (track 13) *Hit-Boy – productions (track 14) *Kara Dioguardi – co-production (track 14) *Allen Sides – string recording (track 16) *Ryan Shanahan – assistant engineers (track 16) *Mike Houge – assistant engineers (track 16) *Gary Grin – piano (track 16) *Gary Novak – piano (track 16) *John Goux – guitar (track 16) *Rusty Anderson – guitar (track 16) *Jack Joseph Puig – mixing (track 16) *Dean Nelson – mixing assistant (track 16) *Nelly – vocal production (track 17) *Adam Messinger – vocal production (track 17) Commercial Performance In the United States, "Doll Domination" debuted at number-four on the Billboard 200 chart selling 79,000 copies in the week ending September 29 (according to Nielsen Music). In addition, the album attained their highest peak on the Billboard 200 however, it also marked their lowest first week sales of an album, with PCD selling 99,000 copies. During its second week of release, "Doll Domination" dropped to number fourteen. The album was a commercial disappointment in the United States selling less than 400,000 copies by April 2009. In Canada, "Doll Domination" entered at number three on the albums chart with sales of 12,000 in the week ending October 11, 2008; it managed to chart for only 5 weeks, and was certified platinum by the Music Canada for shipments exceeding 80,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart dated September 28, 2008, selling 31,823 units and eclipsing the number eight debut (23,800 sales) and number seven peak of their debut album PCD. On November 28, 2008, "Doll Domination" was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) As of May 2009, the album has sold a total of 205,881 copies in the UK (less than a sixth as many as the PCD) which has sold 1,246,769 copies. In France, the album debuted at number sixteen on the French Albums Chart on September 29, 2008, staying at that spot for two weeks. It has been certified Gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Critical Reception "Doll Domination" received an average score of 51 (which indicates "mixed or average reviews") based on 12 reviews on Metacritic. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine provided a favorable review, opining that the album has all "the elements (self-assuring themes, sultry lyrics and lots of skin-tight latex) to mimic the victory of PCD." Steve Jones of USA Today agreed with Concepcion, but added they are "more interested in pushing their brand than pushing boundaries." Writing for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani found that "it was smart to spotlight the, talents of the other pussycats" following the cancellation of "Her Name is Nicole". Writing for the Washington Post, Allison Stewart noted that Scherzinger has "more of a central role" and viewed the album as "a consolation prize" after the multiple delays on her solo album. Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that the ballads "are a move toward expanding the franchise" seeking "a little empathy along with the attitude." In a more mixed review, Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard singled out several songs but concluded that the record "sounds like the Dolls just threw everything they had against the charts to see if anything would stick." Elan Priya of The Times wrote that the album that "lacks any distinct personality." August Brown from the Los Angeles Times noted that the tracks don't come "within the sniffing distance of 'Don't Cha,' Instead, they act out as a "a series of signifiers to other, more interesting, moments in recent pop culture." Likewise, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe stated that the album didn't live up to their debut album. Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly graded the album a C– criticizing the album's longevity "especially for a group that brazenly emphasizes style over substance." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote, "as far as music is concerned, they are not the dominators, they are the dominated," adding that "they sound like they are at the mercy of their songwriters and producers, making for huge swings in quality." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic found it ironic that a group coming from a burlesque revue sings songs about "empowerment, heartbreak, love, fame and wealth, but never about sex." Erlewine ended his review writing, "it's a lot better to hear pinups sing a song of striptease than a song of love." Nic Oliver from musicOMH was also more negative of the record, opining that it is an "album heading straight for the bargain bins" under the file "dispiriting." On his list of the five worst albums of 2008, Chris Willman from Entertainment Weekly placed "Doll Domination" fifth, criticizing the song's "double entendres" aimed at their "target audience of 15-year-olds." IGN ranked the album third on their list of the ten worst albums, commenting that it the "record stands out because it is so exceptionally retched". "Doll Domination" was voted as the third worst album in the 2008 Popjustice Readers' Poll. Charts Gallery Pcd doll domination pic.jpg Nicole.jpg|Nicole Scherzinger Ashley.jpg|Ashley Roberts Kimberly.jpg|Kimberly Wyatt Melodythorntondolldomination.jpg|Melody Thornton Jessica.jpg|Jessica Sutta Category:Albums